4th National Aboriginal

1
4th National Aboriginal Torres Strait
Islander Male Health ConventionOctober 2007

• Nursing and Midwifery
• Shane Mohor
• Principal Project Nurse
• (Aboriginal Nursing Midwifery Strategy)
• Dept of Health SA
• Nursing Midwifery Office

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Statement of Acknowledgement

• We acknowledge and pay our respects to the Kaurna
  people, the traditional custodians whose
  ancestral lands we are meeting upon here today.
  We acknowledge the deep feelings of attachment
  and relationship of the Kaurna people to country.
  We also pay our respect to Aboriginal people
  visiting/attending from other areas of South
  Australia present here today.

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• In collaboration with Aboriginal Health Division
  and major stakeholders, the Nursing and Midwifery
  Office will lead the development, implementation,
  monitoring and evaluation of the South Australian
  Aboriginal Nursing and Midwifery Strategy.
• This will form a part of the Department of
  Healths overall strategic recruitment and
  retention plan (2007 2010), to increase
  Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander participation
  in the SA public sector nursing and midwifery
  workforce using a framework of cultural respect.

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• As at March 2007 the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
• Islander nurses and midwives formed only 0.22 of
  the
• overall SA nursing and midwifery workforce.
• The total number of nurses in the public health
  system at June
• 2006 is 12,940 (48 of total nurses and midwives
• registered and enrolled in South Australia as of
  30 June
• 2006).

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• The Strategy is to provide a framework to ensure
  the Department of Health and portfolio areas
  achieve the equity objective set for the
  employment and career development opportunities
  for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
  employees.
• The strategy will recognise the cultural needs
  of Indigenous people, work towards improving the
  effectiveness of recruitment, retention and
  education of Indigenous peoples within South
  Australia.
• The strategy will recognise the unique
  contributions and commitment from Aboriginal
  Torres Strait Islander nurses and midwives in the
  area of health.

6
Involving Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander
People in Indigenous Employment Outcomes

• Intrinsic in our approach to advancing
  Indigenous
• employment outcomes is the need to consult and
  involve Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander
  employees so that programs are relevant and
  Indigenous employees have ownership of the
  process.
• Coordination of the Strategy needs to ensure
  Aboriginal
• Torres Strait Islander representation at all
  levels of
• discussions, planning, implementation and review.

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Questions that need to be considered for
influencing a shift in Organisational Culture

• How do we bring about realistic commitment from
  senior managers within SA Health to employ
  Indigenous people within the hospitals and health
  services areas?
• What generates a productive work environment?
  Organisational culture is a significant factor
  that impacts on sustainable long-term outcomes.
• The challenge for the SA Health is to foster and
  maintain an organisational culture that is free
  of discrimination and which values cultural
  diversity so that Aboriginal Torres Strait
  Islander people achieve employment equity and the
  SA Health is recognised as the employer of
  choice.

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• The forecast workforce shortages in the coming
  years will mean that health science graduates
  across all disciplines will be in demand.
• Additionally, for regions to meet their health
  service agreements in relation to the commitment
  to increase employment of Aboriginal staff, it is
  fair to say that regions will be keen to employ
  graduates from University programs.

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How to attract Indigenous Students  

• About 90 Aboriginal students graduate from high
  school each year in South Australia.
• Experience in SA is that attracting young
  Aboriginal people into tertiary training for
  health careers takes a considerable level of
  long-term investment, well over that provided
  just by scholarship funding, and that the
  motivations of young people are ordered
  differently to those of mature entrants into
  tertiary education and health professions.

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• That is, young people are seeking a job and
  financial independence, sometimes motivated by a
  desire to work within their community but more
  mature workers rate a desire to work within their
  community and give something back as highly
  important.
• The greatest chance of succeeding is with a
  combination of mature aged entrants and school
  leavers, rather than a focus on only school
  leavers.

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• Additional costs such as travel costs for rural
  and remote participants,
• mentoring support and clinical placement
  guarantees will be needed.
• Are there other additional supports identified
  and are they included in the
• costs?
• There are several other issues that have not been
  covered namely
• What happens if students choose to leave their
  study prior to completion,
• What requirements will exist for students to work
  within South Australia
• and / or the South Australian public health
  sector? and
• How would rural and remote students be supported?

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• In addition there would need to be a management
• structure be set up to ensure the active
• engagement of both the public and private sector
  in
• supporting these students both through their
  study
• and in their clinical placements.

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Keeping Indigenous people in Nursing

• Indigenous employment outcomes are maximised
  where agencies (e.g. Office for the Commissioner
  for Public Employment, Department of Further
  Education Employment Science and Training,
  Department of Health) work together with
  Indigenous organisations, Indigenous communities
  and other relevant organisations in the planning,
  development and evaluation of Indigenous
  employment and career development programs.
• This is particularly crucial in regional areas
  to achieve effective locally based employment and
  career development initiatives for Aboriginal
  Torres Strait Islander people.

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Keeping Indigenous people in Nursing

• There are a number of effective strategies
  targeting Aboriginal Torres
• Strait Islander employment which have been
  replicated in a number of
• Universities and Health Services throughout
  Australia and which have
• consistently resulted in positive, longer-term
  outcomes.
• Some of these strategies include
• Financial commitment with associated resources
• The development of a recruitment strategy with
  the employment of an Indigenous recruitment
  officer
• Building strong partnerships with Government,
  Catholic and Independent
• school sectors from years 10, 11, 12.
• Strong Community engagement processes

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Keeping Indigenous people in Nursing

• Key Partnerships with State-wide / local
  Aboriginal Health organisations
• Incorporating Indigenous related skills into job
  descriptions and selection
• criteria as with identified and specified
  positions
• Cadetship programs (with ongoing support from the
  Commonwealth)
• Scholarship programs
• Traineeships and
• Cross-cultural awareness programs targeting all
  levels of employees within
• the organisation.

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• Within SA State Public Sector, effective
  strategies include
• Aboriginal Torres Strait Islander Cadetship
  program
• Cross cultural awareness programs
• Scholarships (or studies assistance programs)
• Job exchange/mobility programs within health
  services and private organisations and
• Career structures for Aboriginal Torres Strait
  Islander employees

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• The statistics are overwhelming, the ways
  forward are also compelling, and it ultimately
  means working together, a coordinated effort, and
  a responsible effort.
• It means looking at things differently, looking
  at the strategies for education and employment
  differently and making sound business decisions
  for the future.
• The benefits of increasing the numbers of
  Indigenous people being employed in both the
  short and long term outweighs the initial cost.
• The positive factors associated with increased
  employment include increased income, increased
  education and ultimately, increased health and
  wellbeing.

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• Social Justice is what faces you in the
  morning. It is awakening in a house with an
  adequate water supply, cooking facilities and
  sanitation. It is the ability to nourish your
  children and send them to school where their
  education not only equips them for employment but
  also reinforces their knowledge and appreciation
  of their cultural inheritance. It is the prospect
  of genuine employment and good health a life of
  choices and opportunity. A life free from
  discrimination
• Mick Dodson - Former Aboriginal and Torres
• Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner

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• For more information please contact
• Shane Mohor
• Principal Project Nurse
• (Aboriginal Nursing Midwifery Strategy)
• Ph     61 8 8226 6322
• Fax   [phone]
• Mobile [phone]
• e-mail shane.mohor_at_health.sa.gov.au Dept of
  Health
• Nursing Midwifery Office
• PO Box 287
• Rundle Mall
• Adelaide SA 5000
• www.nursingsa.com